Friday

We Love You Michael!










To the Genius, the Icon, the King of Pop...






















I just have to take some time to honor Michael Jackson.

Yesterday, as soon as I heard that Michael Jackson was taken to the hospital, I immediately lit a candle for him.
I thought he'd be fine, I thought it was a heart attack--people have recovered from those... Then, I learned that it was cardiac arrest... okay, isn't that a heart attack? No, that means his heart has stopped.
I was glued to the TV, praying, sending him loving thoughts...

Michael Jackson...


1983, Philippines. I've heard his song being played on the radio over and over, I think it was Beat It... Michael Jackson, the singer's name is Michael Jackson, everyone loved his songs, everyone knew his name. Music Videos were so new... VH1 on TV was playing every afternoon and that one day, I stumbled upon it for the first time. That's when I saw him for the first time, Michael Jackson, the singer from America and he did not have white skin. As a little Filipino girl, it shook me to learn this... I didn't even know there was such a thing... it was so new to me.


Michael Jackson, he transcended color barriers, cultural barriers... what can I say, the man is legendary, the ultimate artist, the greatest entertainer of all time, the... I woke up this morning, turned on the TV, hoping it was all a bad dream, a publicity stunt, please... When I learned how to sing last year, the first song I worked on learning was Michael Jackson's Ben. When I set my goals, I shot for the stars, the best of the best--to be able to sing like Michael... I can't believe it... I can't believe it...

I love you Michael, you're always with us through your music... your magic lives on...

Five of Jackson's solo albums – "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory," all with Epic Records, a Sony Music label – are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and "Thriller" as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award.


Sunday

SHALLA: Happy 4th of July


HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!



Hello writers, Shalla here :)
I'm still in Germany in my German immersion course, having a wonderful time.
I hope you're having a great summer!


Writing Contests

Memoir (and)’s 6th Contest Prize: $500.00. Entry fee: $0.00. Deadline: 08-15-2009.

WRITING CONTEST WEBSITE


Heart Poetry Award Prize: $500.00. Entry fee: $10.00. Deadline: 06-30-2009.

WRITING CONTEST WEBSITE


Submit insightful, immersing, pictorial moments, unpublished modern free verse or prose poem. Awards $500 prize. $10 covers 3 poems, reserves your copy of Fall/Winter 2009 issue. Winner & Honorable Mentions published Fall/Winter 2009 issue of HEART.

2010 Bellevue Literary Review Prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry Prize: $1,000.00. Entry fee: $15.00. Deadline: 08-01-2009.WRITING CONTEST WEBSITE


BLR Prize awards outstanding writing related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. First prize is $1000 (in each genre) and publication in the Spring 2010 issue of the BLR. Prose limited to 5000 words. Up to 3 poems (maximum 5 pages). Submissions that exceed these limits will be disqualified. Deadline August 1, 2009. Winners will be announced by December 31, 2009.

*read more

Saturday

SHALLA: A Summer Note














And do you remember Alex Cristo?




Yeah, Mr. Austria.






We interviewed him for SHALLA Magazine...





SHALLA MINGLES with Mr. Fitness, Alex Cristo
“Writers: Get Fit!”
by Shalla DeGuzman





Well, UPDATE, here are some of the latest pictures of Alex...






*read more


http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=3754163






Plus, Alex Cristo sent a note:




PS: when you need a model for the cover for your books, don't forget me!!!!





Hey Alex, of course not, you're the best! You'll steam up any Harlequin cover, anytime!



Which leads me to my little summer note...





SHALLA's








A SUMMER NOTE




I finally finished my first novel... yes, I could have finished it a lot sooner. Instead, I used it to figure out how to write a novel, how to slow down a scene, how to speed it up, etc. It also helped me figure out what I like to write. I vacillated from writing something cutesy and sweet like a Chick Lit, to something literary with a lot more drama... oy! In the end, I figured out, I don't really like Drama. I don't feel like feeling sad... maybe it's only temporary... but the next novel I'm writing will probably be romance... We'll see.




For now, I need a break from writing. I've read too many books, wrote too many pages too fast, too much editing and revising, I need a break. Not to mention, our beloved, cute, beautiful doggie, Pancho, just passed from the big C a few days ago. Remember Pancho, our lab-akita mix with a beautiful smile who wore a Santa costume last Christmas? It was so fast, it happened all too fast, too soon, too fast... So, I have to get away, get my mind off.
That's why I'm saying good bye to you, just for a little while...


Pancho, come back soon!
we love you!






Alex, if you're reading this--I'm going to Germany to learn to speak German fluently once and for all!



So, Auf Wiedersehen, just for a little while and Hallo Deutschland!


Have a wonderful summer everybody!





I love you all!!!







***





From eHarlequin, check out the latest Top 10 More Raining Men list:





1. Billionaire Extraordinaire by Leanne Banks



2. The Man Most Likely by Cindi Myers

3. Billionaire Doctor, Ordinary Nurse by Carol Marinelli

4. Kissing the Man Next Door by Devon Vaughn Archer

5. Captive of the Beast by Lisa Renee Jones

6. Night Rescuer by Cindy Dees

7. Her Cattleman Boss by Barbara Hannay

8. Italian Tycoon, Secret Son by Lucy Gordon

9. The Sicilian Boss's Mistress by Penny Jordan


10. Desert Ice Daddy by Dana Marton




Still looking for the perfect guy?

Check out eHarlequin's It's Raining Men sale before it's over and get $10 worth of FREE books! Shop now.





























 

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Come back soon and check out my Best Sellers :)

Questions? Compliments? (I like getting kind emails :)

Please title emails with "Hi Shalla" otherwise they might get deleted.

shalla_de_guzman@yahoo.com

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